Interview: Jane Moore

Rebecca Minton interviewing artist Jane Moore on the ‘Sketch a day Project’, on at Shapes (117 Wallis Road, Hackney), this January:

On my facebook feed last week, some wonderful and familiar drawings popped up promoting the ‘Sketch a Day Project’ exhibition starting on the 22nd January. I’d seen some of them last year as part of the Winter Pride Arts Awards ceremony, I’d also heard they’d been stolen so I was quite surprised to see an an exhibition had been scheduled. In response to what happened, artist Jane Moore has recreated the missing pieces to complete her upcoming show. I was so impressed with her positive response, I knew we needed to find out more about the artist behind the pictures. Luckily, I got to catch up with Jane at the weekend:

Jane, we love your drawings. Please can you tell us about your inspiration behind them?

Thank you so much!

The Sketch A Day project began as a New Year’s Resolution in Jan 2014. Normally I decide on giving up chocolate, cake or starting a new sport I and usually stick to them until about March. Last year I thought I would choose one that I knew I would do and that would allow and make me concentrate and spend more time on my personal development as an artist. I wanted to strengthen my drawing skills and develop new techniques.

The inspiration behind the 2014 sketches came from my everyday surroundings, current jobs, current affairs, public figures, family, a life drawing class, books, theatre and so on. The 2015 sketches will be a little organised in that I am having a theme per month January’s is Figurative!

I also carry a small notebook, which I use to constantly jot down possible Sketch A Day subjects and themes.

There’s a lot of history about your work coming together for this show. Please can you tell us a bit about it?

I am from Belfast and studied at art college there before moving to London in 2003 to do my degree in Fashion Promotion and Illustration. I have always painted and drew in my spare time throughout my degree and upon graduating. I worked in fashion editorial and illustration after graduating and have been working as an illustrator and storyboard artist for 8 years now. My background you can see through the different genres in the sketches. I also spent the summer traveling and spent 3 months in Barcelona, which greatly influenced my drawings.

Your exhibition sounds really fun and engaging. Please can you tell us why you are collaborating with ‘Love is the Law’ for the music event?

When I decided to do an exhibition I knew I definitely wanted to collaborate with musicians and other performers. I used to work in clubs and ran a couple of club nights with live music in my early 20s. Art, music and poetry work in perfect harmony and when I met Lucy from Love is the Law through my wonderful project manager Kirstin – it just gelled!

And tell us about your decision to run workshops…

I have only worked with primary school pupils before and have wanted to run drawing workshops for secondary school art pupils, but it is only now that I feel I am equipped with enough industry experience and drawing skills to host them. I started evening life drawing classes whilst I was at secondary school and from talking to a few art pupils not many go to them. It is really vital as life drawings classes are revision for art, they really develop your drawing skill and they are vital for getting into art colleges and universities. We will be drawing from costumed models and discussing the work created along with the industry.

And finally Jane, what would you really like people to know about you, your work and your exhibition?

I hope through my work I inspire others to pursue their passions and dreams and to use a New Year’s Resolution to do something that is life changing. It has been my dream since I was a little to be an artist and my 2014 New Year’s Resolution is making that a reality. I am having my first solo exhibition and have been published in Artists & Illustrators and Leisure Painter magazines! Hard work, sacrifice and dedication really does pay off.

I’m inviting fellow creative’s in all disciplines to post any work inspired by the project to the Sketch A Day Facebook page and blog. These will be featured in the ‘Inspire By’ series. A collection of works that I want to show at the 2015 exhibition. Here are the links…